People with
jobs in town planning have been urged to utilise pre-existing policies to regenerate and make improvements to town centres.
The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has called for councils and local people to work together to shape the future of their neighbourhoods.
In a bid to demonstrate how members of the public can have their say before the launch of the localism bill, the RTPI has published the Existing Tools for Neighbourhood Planning report.
Chief executive of the organisation Trudi Elliot urged local authorities to use village design statements and parish plans as a method of utilising the opinion of the community.
She said: "Councils and communities do not have to wait for the localism bill to receive royal assent to shape their neighbourhoods."
The new RTPI report advises residents to put forward their own initiatives where the local authority may not be able to provide appropriate resources.
Posted by Lucy Hallows
